Luo Zhi Qiu spent the entire night questioning Luo Wei's knowledge. He wanted to reacquaint himself with this son he'd raised for the last thirteen years. It might not be too late if he started now, Luo Zhi Qiu thought. After testing him, Luo Zhi Qiu was pleasantly surprised to find that Luo Wei could write in regular script(1) in a neat but not inelegant hand. When Luo Wei played the qin(2), the sound of the music was actually pleasing to the ear. The sleeping lotus he'd sketched with a few strokes of the brush was both accurate in shape and spirit. In terms of composing writing, he was still a little weak, but of the legendary and famous poems of poets who came before, he could recite without missing a word.

"Father, I'm not stupid." Luo Wei made sure to emphasize to Luo Zhi Qiu.

Luo Zhi Qiu looked at Luo Wei. He wasn't just not stupid, he clearly had the makings of a top scholar!

At dawn, Bo Hua came to the study to find the father and son duo who'd been up all night.

"Mother," At the sight of Bo Hua, Luo Wei courteously paid his respects.

Bo Hua acknowledged Luo Wei with a nod. The expression with which she looked at Luo Wei had softened a great deal. Looks like Luo Ze spared no efforts in saying good things about Luo Wei to her last night. "You should go eat," She said to Luo Wei, "You've been sitting with your father for an entire night, you must be tired."

"I'm alright," Luo Wei responded hurriedly.

"Go and eat something," Luo Zhi Qiu gave permission for Luo Wei to leave for breakfast.

Bo Hua watched Luo Wei disappearing down the hall as she spoke to Luo Zhi Qiu, "I almost couldn't believe what Ze Er said to me last night."

Luo Zhi Qiu said, "Isn't it nice that Wei Er's so courteous to you now?"

Bo Hua answered, "I'm so used to seeing him do whatever he pleases that I'm not sure if I can get used to this."

Luo Zhi Qiu didn't say anything else. He knows why his wife was so biased against Luo Wei. Though she never showed it, Bo Hua always thought that Luo Wei was a bastard who had a questionable background. Luo Zhi Qiu couldn't tell Bo Hua the truth, but he could only hope that with the intelligence Luo Wei is beginning to show, the boy could use it to fix his relationship with Bo Hua.

Luo Wei ate his breakfast at home. Despite not wanting to, he still had to continue his life as the prince's study companion and go to the study.

When Luo Wei appeared at the door of the study, the noise that had been permeating the room suddenly dropped to a silence. Everyone's eyes were on Luo Wei.

"Your Highness," Luo Wei gave no attention to the eyes on him, only paying his respects to Long Xuan after entering the room.

"You came," Long Xuan's expression was lukewarm. At this point, he still didn't know what had happened in the Luo estate the night before.

Luo Wei glanced at his usual seat on Long Xuan's left hand side. It was currently occupied by a youth in light blue clothing who was staring him up and down. Luo Wei knows him. He's Xie Yu, the future Senior Chancellor of Greater Zhou, a noble chancellor whose virtues everyone extolled. Luo Wei watched Xie Yu regarding him, so he smiled and brought his hands together to make a gesture in greeting.

A this point in time, Xie Yu was still only a son of an official historian of the fourth rank(3), and the lowest in terms of background between everyone who attended this study. If it wasn't for his outstanding literary talents, he wouldn't have even made it into this study. Xie Yu saw the gesture from Luo Wei, surprised, and quickly got up to return the gesture of respect.

Luo Wei walked to a seat near the window and sat down. This was the furthest seat from Long Xuan. Going by the rule of this study, those who sat closest to Long Xuan were the ones who had the most clout, so no one wanted to or even ever sat here. In the past life, Luo Wei had flown into a fit of rage after he returned and saw that Xie Yu had sat in his seat. He immediately backhanded the unwitting Xie Yu a few times until he bled. In the days after, Xie Yu was the number one target for Luo Wei's bullying in the study.

It was only when the Luo family had been destroyed that Luo Wei heard from Long Xuan in person, that he'd purposefully arranged for Xie Yu to sit in his seat. He knew that the conceited Luo Wei wouldn't accept Xie Yu and would find any reason to humiliate him. Afterward, Long Xuan would comfort Xie Yu, telling him that the Luo family had a lot of power, that even he, a prince borne from a consort, wouldn't dare anger Luo Wei and only give concession. Xie Yu had originally admired the virtuous Senior Chancellor Luo Zhi Qiu whose reputation at the time had been noble. Yet, after being humiliated a few times, he turned enemy with the Luo family, and joined forces with Long Xuan, becoming one of Long Xuan's most competent strategists. The Luo Wei in this life wouldn't make this mistake again, no matter what.

Long Xuan's gaze shot over to him like daggers, but Luo Wei busied himself by opening his book and starting his readings.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Regular Script - A form of Chinese script style that is the most common in modern writings and publications, used in print especially. It's regular and easy to read and roughly equates to writing in very neat print in English. The observation made by his father is to say that his writing was neat, but also not lacking stylistically in what looked beautiful as script.

2. Qin - Seven string instrument of the zither family. In modern text it's often referred to as Gu Qin, which means ancient qin, but seeing as how this is a period piece, it is just referred to as the qin.

3. Official Historian of the Fourth Rank - The job that Xie Yu's father has is probably as a bureaucrat who works in the historical records department of the government. At the time he would be counted as an official as well, but not as powerful as the ministers and officials who were involved in politics. The Fourth Rank is in reference to the Nine-Rank system discussed in earlier footnotes.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:

Another update to make up for the fact that I missed some over the weekend. ;)